How to swap your skills to get ahead (without breaking the bank)

Looking to start a new venture, but strapped for cash? Or just want to splurge on something nice for yourself, but don’t have the budget? Consider using your time as currency instead of money. That’s where Vendeve, a new swapping site that’s exclusively for women, comes in. All you have to do is sign up, explain what skill or service you can offer (anything from writing and graphic design to cooking and cleaning) and get to swappin’ or sellin’. So, if I were to create an auction offering my editing as a service, women could respond to me with their own offers and eventually, the exchange is scheduled. As they explain it, Vendeve is a “skills marketplace that helps women to unapologetically get shit done.”

Katelyn was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed PR grad. But with a pile of student loan debt and no high paying jobs on the horizon, she took destiny into her own hands and went freelance.
She knew getting started would be tough (and expensive), but she had a game plan. She’d pair up with other freelance newbies who had the skills she needed to grow her marketing business—skills like graphic design, bookkeeping, and legal services.
Before long, she’d swapped her way to success. Her one-woman PR biz had grown into Halifax’s hottest boutique branding agency.

Katelyn Bourgoin, co-founder and CEO of Vendeve

I am 100 percent behind this idea. I love the concept of trading a skill for something you really need, especially if it involves your small business. True story: Just last week, my best friend swapped her amazing website-building skills for some sweet photography props. No money spent, big gains and networking all together? Sign me up.